Neat to Know: April 10, 2025

Your weekly roundup of City news, updates, and other important information.

Free compost day

We’re offering three free compost days in 2025! The first is set for Saturday, April 19 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 1453 Hutchinson Avenue SE.

Give your soil some love this season! Bring a shovel and container, and come load up on up to 10 gallons of compost (limit per household).

Our SureGrow multi-purpose compost in an all-natural soil amendment produced by the City from materials in our annual organics collection program. We gave away approximately 20,000 kilograms of SureGrow compost over two giveaway events last year.

Can’t make it on April 19? Our other free compost days are Saturday, May 10 and Saturday, September 13 – same place, same time!

Hours and services at various City of Medicine Hat facilities will be affected by the Good Friday statutory holiday on Friday, April 18.

Visit our holiday hours page to view what to expect for City facilities, Medicine Hat Transit, and Waste Collection on Good Friday and Easter weekend.

medicinehat.ca/holidayhours

Our Litter Blitz campaign is back for 2025! The event runs from Saturday, April 26 to Saturday, May 3 in recognition of Earth Day.

Come join us to kick off the campaign in Police Point Park at the Interpretive Program's Earth Day Bash on April 26 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

There are great prizes available for Litter Blitz participants to win, and a Thank You BBQ on May 3 to conclude. Read more on this year's campaign, including prizes, where to get Litter Blitz supplies, how to participate, and more, on our website.

Read more

Do you know an individual or organization in your community who has made a big impact? Nominate them for a Community Spirit Award before Monday, June 16 at 4:30 p.m.

Yard waste collection returned for the season this week! It will run until November 14, 2025.

Green organic waste cart collection occurs on the same day as your regular garbage collection. View the Residential Waste Collection Calendar below.

For more information on this program, including allowable items, visit medicinehat.ca/yardwaste.

Wondering about street sweeping?

The City’s map about street sweeping updates can be found here. Currently, night sweeping on medians, bridges, and boulevards are being done. We will provide updates once the residential street sweeping program is close to starting.

April 7 City Council meeting

Monday’s Council meeting was lengthy with many interesting items up for debate. Council addressed a number of motions about  sharing public information, approved renaming the Devonian Trail to Kiwanis Centennial Trail, and devoted $675,000 to proceed with the detailed due diligence phase for the Saamis Solar Park projects. In the Council Highlights, you’ll also find out who received Community Vibrancy Grants, and learn about the City’s grant application for the Growing Canada’s Community Canopies grant.  

Read the highlights  Watch the meeting

CBC: “A blueprint for economic resilience”

Medicine Hat was one of four mid-sized Canadian cities selected as part of the CBC’s effort to capture diverse viewpoints from across the country prior to the federal election on April 28. They spent four days in our city talking to residents to better understand the main issues and priorities in our part of the country.

Both the April 7 and 8 editions of The National were broadcast live from City Hall, and showcased the content produced during their time in Medicine Hat. If you missed the live broadcasts, you can still watch the full episodes online where you’ll see anchor Adrienne Arsenault bringing the news to Canada from our very own City Hall with beautiful Finlay Bridge in the background. If you are pressed for time, check out these clips, particularly the first as it offers a wonderful depiction of our community and its innovative and resilient nature.

• This Alberta city has a blueprint for economic resilience
• Asking Alberta voters: What do you worry about?
• Does Canada get Alberta? We asked these voters

Co-op Place Express – Round 2

• Pickup location: Medicine Hat Mall
• Cost: $5 round trip
• Ways to buy: Tixx.ca, cash, MHTgo! card or use your monthly bus pass

The City of Medicine Hat is honoured to host Kathleen Petty for a live taping of CBC's West of Centre podcast Wednesday, April 16 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the beautiful Esplanade Arts and Heritage Centre.

We're so excited to share that our very own Managing Director of Energy, Land and Environment, Rochelle Pancoast, will be part of the powerhouse panel including:

• Michaela Frey – Former UCP MLA for Brooks–Medicine Hat
• Barry Morishita – Former Mayor of Brooks / Former Alberta Party Leader
• Janet Brown – Independent Pollster

They'll discuss the key issues shaping southern Alberta's political and economic landscape, including the impact of the upcoming federal election.

Join the live audience to take part in the question and answer period.

Reserve your free ticket

Morning trail closure to allow gas line inspection

On the morning of Wednesday, April 16, City crews are conducting a routine pipe integrity inspection of the gas line that runs under the Shannon Bridge at the bottom of Dunmore Hill. During the assessment, the Saratoga Trail running under Dunmore Road SE along the Seven Persons Creek will be partially closed and trail users may see momentary disruptions on their morning trek. The work should be complete by the noon hour.

Join us May 1 at Big Marble Go Centre for Shape Your City

This in-person event is an opportunity to interact with representatives from various City departments and ask questions about existing and new initiatives. There will be a fire truck onsite and free childminding in the playroom! While supplies last, you can also pick up a litter blitz clean up pack and/or a bike bell giveaway. For a full list of the 15+ departments participating, check out the project page.

Downtown parking added

We’ve recently added nine new parking spots in downtown Medicine Hat to ensure even more free parking is available downtown to visit our vibrant downtown businesses. Our nine new stalls include eight 2-hour stalls and one 30-minute stall.

The two new stalls on 6 Avenue SE will make up for the two set to be removed for intersection safety enhancements planned for 3 Street/6 Avenue.

There are also free and permitted stalls at the Transit Terminal parkade with 24-hour security on-site, and free parking weekdays after 6 p.m. and on weekends. Read more here.

We’ve also increased the time limit from 30-minute to two-hour parking on three spots, and added a new loading zone with two stalls for delivery drivers to gain necessary access.

Although the remainder of the downtown construction project will affect some parking in the area for part of 2025, we’re committed to looking for even more parking possibilities after construction.

We will be bringing an item to Council in 2026 for consideration for the 2027/2028 budget, which would aim to complete an in-depth review of downtown parking. This timeline allows for traffic patterns to return to normal after construction is complete.

Check out the downtown parking page on our website for more information.

Saamis Solar: A stage gate approach

On April 7, Council approved a request for $675,000 to proceed with detailed analysis and due diligence. The Saamis Solar project employs a stage gate approach to project management where each phase has a gate (or decision point) between. The decision on April 7 was the second of three stage gates where Council may decide to proceed or end the project or consider other alternatives.

Read the story on Shape Your City

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